Are garter snakes dangerous? Generally, no. Garter snakes are not dangerous to humans or pets. They are not venomous and primarily eat insects, worms, and small amphibians. While finding a snake in your yard can be startling, especially if you have children or pets, garter snakes are mostly harmless and even helpful as natural pest control. However, if you prefer not to have them around, there are many effective and humane ways to encourage them to move on and keep them away from your property. Getting rid of garter snakes usually involves making your yard less appealing to them, using natural snake deterrents, and taking steps for snake prevention methods.
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Grasping Your Guest: Getting To Know Garter Snakes
Before you start trying to remove garter snakes, it helps to know who they are. This section will cover garter snake identification and explain more about whether they are dangerous.
Identifying Garter Snakes
Garter snakes are common snakes in North America. They come in many colors and patterns, but they often have stripes.
- Size: Most adult garter snakes are not very long. They are usually between 18 and 28 inches long. Some can be a bit longer, but they are rarely over 3 feet.
- Color and Pattern: Look for stripes. Garter snakes usually have three light stripes down their back and sides. These stripes can be yellow, green, blue, or white. The body color between the stripes can be black, brown, or olive green. Some garter snakes have checkerboard patterns between the stripes instead of solid color.
- Body Shape: They have slim bodies. Their head is not much wider than their neck.
- Scales: Their scales are keeled. This means each scale has a ridge down the middle. This makes them look a bit rough, not smooth and shiny like some other snakes.
- Activity: You often see them during the day. They like to sun themselves.
Knowing garter snake identification helps you confirm what kind of snake you have. This is important because it lets you know they are not dangerous.
Are Garter Snakes Dangerous?
This is a common worry, and the answer is simple: no, garter snakes are generally not dangerous to people or most pets.
- Venom: Garter snakes are technically considered venomous. However, the venom they have is very mild. It is only used to help them catch small prey like frogs or worms. It is not strong enough to hurt humans or cause problems for dogs or cats. A bite might cause a little redness or itching, but that’s about it.
- Bites: They might bite if they feel scared or threatened. This is their way of defending themselves. A garter snake bite is usually just a quick nip. It might break the skin and cause a tiny amount of bleeding. Wash the bite with soap and water. It is not a medical emergency.
- Threat to Pets: For small pets like mice or hamsters, yes, a garter snake could be a threat. But for typical household pets like dogs and cats, garter snakes are too small to be a danger. Your dog or cat might chase or even catch a garter snake, but the snake cannot harm the pet.
So, while seeing a snake can be scary, remember that garter snakes are harmless helpers in the garden, eating bugs and other pests. The goal should be to make them leave safely, not to harm them.
Fathoming What Attracts Garter Snakes
Why do garter snakes choose your yard? They are looking for a few basic things: food, water, and shelter. If your yard provides these things, it becomes an inviting snake habitat. Knowing what attracts garter snakes is the first step in making your yard less appealing.
Food Sources
Garter snakes eat small animals. If your yard has a lot of these, snakes will visit.
- Insects: Grubs, worms, crickets, and other common insects are on their menu.
- Amphibians: Frogs, toads, and salamanders are favorite foods. If you have a pond, water feature, or damp areas, you might have these amphibians, which then attract snakes.
- Small Fish: If you have a fish pond, very small fish could attract them, though this is less common.
- Slugs and Snails: Some garter snake species will eat these garden pests.
Having a healthy garden ecosystem with plenty of bugs and maybe a few frogs is great, but it also means potential food for snakes.
Shelter and Habitat
Snakes need places to hide from predators and the weather. They also need places to warm up in the sun or cool down in the shade. Their ideal snake habitat offers good cover.
- Piles of Stuff: Piles of leaves, grass clippings, woodpiles, rock piles, and even piles of junk provide perfect hiding spots. Snakes can slip under or into these piles to feel safe.
- Tall Grass and Weeds: Unmowed areas give snakes cover. They can move around without being seen.
- Dense Bushes and Shrubs: Thick plantings offer shade and hiding places near the ground.
- Mulch: Thick layers of mulch can provide cool, damp places to hide.
- Structures: Cracks in foundations, gaps under sheds, porches, or steps can be entry points or safe havens.
- Water Sources: Ponds, bird baths, leaky faucets, or areas that hold standing water attract their prey (like frogs) and also provide a place for the snake to drink or cool off.
These features make your yard a comfy home for garter snakes. Removing or changing these elements is key to keeping snakes away.
Keeping Snakes Away: Making Your Yard Uninviting
The most effective way to get rid of garter snakes is to make your yard a place they don’t want to be. This involves changing the environment, which is part of good snake prevention methods. This is also how to keep snakes out of garden areas.
Modifying the Snake Habitat
Let’s look at specific things you can do to change your yard’s habitat.
- Mow Your Lawn Often: Keep your grass short. Snakes do not like to cross open, short areas because it makes them easy targets for birds and other predators. A short lawn removes their cover. Aim for 3 inches or less.
- Clean Up Yard Debris: This is very important. Remove all the piles that snakes love.
- Get rid of leaf piles, grass clippings, and raked-up yard waste. Put them in closed compost bins or bags, or remove them from your property.
- Stack firewood neatly on a rack, lifted off the ground if possible. Keep it away from the house.
- Remove rock piles, lumber scraps, and any other unused building materials or junk.
- Clear out thick ground cover plants, especially near your house or areas where kids and pets play.
- Trim Landscaping: Keep bushes and shrubs trimmed, especially near the ground. This reduces shady hiding spots. Keep trees and bushes away from the side of your house.
- Manage Water: Fix any leaky faucets or hoses. Drain areas where water collects after rain. If you have a pond, keep the area around it tidy and free of tall weeds or piles of rocks. Less water means fewer frogs and toads, which means less food for snakes.
- Fill Holes and Cracks: Inspect the foundation of your house, shed, and other structures. Fill any holes, cracks, or gaps that a snake could get into. Use caulk, mortar, or expanding foam. Check around pipes and wires entering the building. Seal spaces under doors and windows if needed. Even small gaps can be entry points.
- Check Under Structures: Look under decks, porches, and sheds. Make sure there are no easy ways for snakes to get underneath and hide. You might need to install mesh or solid barriers around the base of these structures. Make sure the barrier goes into the ground a little bit so snakes cannot burrow under it.
- Garden Care: Keep garden beds tidy. Remove weeds regularly. Avoid thick layers of mulch right next to the house or walkways. Consider using gravel or rocks around the foundation instead of mulch, as this offers less appeal for snakes seeking damp cover.
By changing the snake habitat in these ways, you remove the things that attract snakes (food and shelter) and make your yard a less safe place for them to hang out. These are effective snake prevention methods that work over time.
Natural Snake Deterrents and Repellents
Once you have cleaned up the yard, you can add things that snakes dislike. These are natural snake deterrents or commercial snake repellent products. While no product works 100% perfectly for all snakes, some can help make your yard even less inviting.
Using Smells Snakes Dislike
Snakes use their sense of smell a lot to find food and shelter. Certain strong smells can bother them and make them want to leave.
- Mothballs (Naphthalene): Many people suggest mothballs. However, mothballs contain chemicals that are toxic to pets and children. They also break down quickly in the sun and rain, needing constant replacement. Many experts do not recommend using mothballs because of the health risks and limited effectiveness outdoors. Also, using them outdoors is often against the product’s label instructions and illegal.
- Sulfur: The smell of sulfur is said to bother snakes. You can buy granular sulfur and spread it around the edges of your property or around areas where you have seen snakes. Be careful with sulfur as it can irritate skin and eyes. It also needs to be reapplied often.
- Vinegar: Snakes do not like the smell of vinegar. You can pour white vinegar around the edge of a pond or water feature where snakes might be getting water or looking for frogs. It needs to be reapplied regularly, especially after rain.
- Cinnamon and Clove Oil: Some sources suggest that strong essential oils like cinnamon or clove oil can deter snakes. You could try mixing them with water and spraying areas, but their effect outdoors will be short-lived.
- Garlic and Onions: Planting garlic or onions or using garlic oil sprays is sometimes suggested as a natural snake deterrent. The strong smell might bother them. You can make a spray by mixing chopped garlic or onion with water and letting it sit, then straining it and spraying it.
Other Natural Deterrents
Besides smells, other natural methods are sometimes suggested.
- Specific Plants: Some plants are said to deter snakes. Examples include snake plant (Sansevieria), Marigolds, and Wormwood. Planting these around your yard or garden might help, but the scientific evidence is weak. It is more likely that dense planting provides cover, which attracts snakes, unless the plants themselves have a strong, unpleasant smell or texture for snakes.
- Creating a Barrier: While not a smell, creating a physical barrier is a natural way to keep snakes out. A fence built specifically to keep snakes out needs to be solid or made of mesh with holes smaller than 1/4 inch. It needs to be at least 3 feet tall and angled outwards at the top. The bottom must be buried 6-12 inches deep in the ground. This is a more involved project but can be very effective for specific areas like play yards or gardens (how to keep snakes out of garden).
Commercial Snake Repellents
You can buy products labeled as snake repellent. These usually contain ingredients like naphthalene, sulfur, or essential oils.
- How They Work: They aim to create a smell or taste barrier that snakes find unpleasant, making them want to avoid the treated area.
- Effectiveness: The results of commercial snake repellents are mixed. Some people find they help, others see no difference. They are often less effective in large outdoor areas and need frequent reapplication, especially after rain. Always follow the instructions on the package carefully.
- Safety: Check the ingredients and safety warnings. Some products can be harmful to pets, children, or other wildlife. Use them with caution.
Using natural snake deterrents or commercial snake repellent products can be part of your strategy, but remember that removing food and shelter is usually the most important step in keeping snakes away.
If You Find A Snake: Safe Removal Methods
Even after making your yard less attractive, you might still find a garter snake occasionally. The goal is safe, humane removal. Never try to kill a garter snake; it is unnecessary as they are not dangerous, and harming wildlife is discouraged.
Simple Steps for Safe Removal
If you see a garter snake and want it gone now, here is how to do it safely:
- Stay Calm: Do not panic. Remember it is not dangerous.
- Give It Space: Often, if you leave it alone, the snake will move on by itself. Snakes are usually more scared of you than you are of them.
- Use a Long Broom or Hose: You can gently try to nudge the snake towards an exit (like the edge of your yard) with a long broom or a stream of water from a hose. Be gentle; do not injure the snake.
- Use a Bucket and Broom/Cardboard: This is a good method for catching and moving a snake that is in a spot where you cannot just shoo it away.
- Get a bucket (a trash can or a deep box also works) and a broom or piece of stiff cardboard.
- Place the bucket or box on its side near the snake.
- Gently use the broom or cardboard to guide or sweep the snake into the container.
- Once the snake is in the container, quickly but carefully tip it upright. You can place a lid on it or a piece of cardboard held down with a weight (like a rock) to keep the snake inside.
- Move the Snake: Carry the container to a safe location away from your home. A wooded area, a park, or a field that is at least a quarter-mile away is best. Release the snake gently onto the ground.
When To Call For Help
Most of the time, you can handle garter snakes yourself using the methods above. However, there are times when calling a professional might be necessary.
- If You Are Unsure of the Snake Type: If you cannot identify the snake and worry it might be something other than a harmless garter snake, do not approach it. Keep a safe distance and call a local animal control service or a wildlife removal expert.
- If There Are Many Snakes: If you seem to have a major snake problem with many snakes appearing often, it might mean you have a significant attractant (like a large food source or den site) that you cannot easily find or fix yourself. A professional can help identify the source of the problem.
- If a Snake Is Inside Your House: Finding a snake inside can be more stressful. While a garter snake inside is still harmless, you might prefer a professional to remove it safely.
- If You Are Afraid: If you are too scared to try and remove the snake yourself, it is perfectly okay to call for help. Local animal control or pest control for snakes services can assist.
Professional pest control for snakes usually involves inspecting your property to find out why snakes are present, safe removal of any snakes found, and giving advice on how to prevent them from coming back. Make sure to choose a company that uses humane methods.
Long-Term Snake Prevention Methods
Keeping garter snakes away is not a one-time fix. It requires ongoing effort to maintain a yard that is not attractive to them. Think of it as managing your property to discourage unwanted guests. These snake prevention methods build on the habitat modification steps.
- Routine Yard Maintenance: Make cleaning up debris part of your regular yard work. Mow the lawn weekly during the growing season. Trim back plants regularly.
- Control Pest Populations: Since garter snakes eat insects, worms, and amphibians, controlling these populations can make your yard less of a buffet. Lessen the use of outdoor lights at night, as these attract insects. Manage slug and snail populations. While you don’t need to get rid of all bugs, reducing high numbers of prey animals can help.
- Secure Structures: Regularly check your house, shed, and other buildings for new cracks or gaps that appear over time. Repair them promptly. Make sure screens on windows and doors are in good repair.
- Educate Your Household: Make sure everyone who spends time in the yard, especially children, knows what garter snakes look like and that they are not dangerous. Teach them not to approach or try to catch snakes but to let an adult know.
- Talk to Neighbors: If your neighbors have messy yards, tall grass, or water features, it could impact your yard too. Encouraging neighborhood-wide cleanup efforts can help everyone with keeping snakes away.
- Monitor for Signs: Keep an eye out for snake skins (snakes shed their skin as they grow) or snake droppings (small, dark pellets, sometimes with white urates). Finding these signs can tell you that snakes are present, even if you are not seeing them, and might mean you need to increase your prevention efforts in certain areas.
By consistently applying these snake prevention methods, you create a long-term strategy for reducing the chances of garter snakes making your yard their home.
Summarizing Effective Strategies
Getting rid of garter snakes from your yard safely and effectively involves several steps that work together. It starts with knowing what garter snakes are and that they are not dangerous. Then, you need to understand what attracts them to your yard – mainly food (insects, frogs) and shelter (piles of debris, tall grass, hiding spots).
The most powerful way to keep snakes away is to change their habitat. This means cleaning up your yard thoroughly, mowing the lawn short, removing piles of wood, leaves, and rocks, trimming plants, and fixing any holes or gaps in buildings. These actions remove the places snakes hide and the food sources that draw them in. This is key to how to keep snakes out of garden areas and your whole yard.
Using natural snake deterrents or snake repellent products can add an extra layer of discouragement, but they are usually less effective than habitat changes. Smells like sulfur or vinegar are sometimes used, but results vary, and safety is important.
If you find a snake, the best approach is safe, humane removal, like using a bucket to move it to a distant, safe location. Only call pest control for snakes if you cannot identify the snake, have many snakes, or feel unable to remove it yourself.
Finally, keeping snakes away requires ongoing effort. Regular yard maintenance and checking for new hiding spots are important long-term snake prevention methods.
By focusing on making your yard less appealing and knowing how to safely handle any snake you find, you can manage garter snakes effectively without harming these beneficial creatures.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
h4: Can mothballs keep garter snakes away?
While often suggested, mothballs are not recommended for keeping snakes away. They contain toxic chemicals harmful to pets and children. They are also often ineffective outdoors and using them this way can be against the law.
h4: What smells do garter snakes hate?
Snakes may dislike strong smells like sulfur, vinegar, or certain essential oils (like cinnamon or clove). However, using smells as a deterrent is usually less effective than removing their food and shelter.
h4: Will cutting my grass short keep snakes away?
Yes, keeping your grass short is one of the most effective ways to deter garter snakes. Short grass removes their cover, making them feel exposed to predators, and they will often avoid crossing large areas of short lawn.
h4: Are garter snakes good to have in my yard?
Yes, garter snakes are generally considered beneficial. They help control populations of pests like slugs, snails, and insects. They are a natural part of the ecosystem.
h4: What is the best natural way to get rid of garter snakes?
The best natural way is to change your yard’s habitat. This means removing their food sources (by managing pest populations) and especially their hiding places (piles of leaves, wood, rocks, tall grass, etc.). Making the environment less welcoming is more effective than most deterrent products.
h4: Can garter snakes climb fences?
Garter snakes are not skilled climbers compared to some other snake species. A smooth fence is usually a good barrier. However, if a fence has rough surfaces, mesh, or nearby plants they can use for support, they might be able to climb it. A dedicated snake-proof fence needs to be solid or fine mesh and buried in the ground.
h4: What should I do if a garter snake bites me?
Garter snake bites are harmless. Wash the area with soap and water. You might use a mild antiseptic. It should not cause any significant problems.
h4: Do snake repellent products actually work?
The effectiveness of commercial snake repellent products is debated and results are often mixed. They are usually based on smells that snakes dislike, but these smells wash away in rain and break down in sun, needing frequent reapplication. Removing what attracts snakes is a more reliable method.
h4: Where do garter snakes go in the winter?
Garter snakes are cold-blooded and cannot survive freezing temperatures. In the winter, they find safe places to hibernate. These are called hibernacula. They might use animal burrows, rock piles, building foundations, or other sheltered spots underground. Sometimes, many snakes will gather in one hibernaculum.
h4: How can I keep snakes out of my pool?
Snakes might fall into pools while trying to get a drink or reach prey. You can help them get out by providing a snake escape ramp (like a Skamper-Ramp or a simple floating board). Keeping the area around the pool free of tall plants and hiding spots can also help prevent them from being nearby.
| Snake Attractants | How to Remove/Reduce Them |
|---|---|
| Piles of leaves/grass | Rake up and remove/compost in sealed bins |
| Wood or rock piles | Store wood neatly on racks, remove rock piles |
| Tall grass and weeds | Mow regularly, keep edges trimmed |
| Dense ground cover plants | Trim back, especially near buildings |
| Water sources (ponds, leaks) | Fix leaks, keep pond edges tidy, drain standing water |
| Cracks in foundations | Seal with caulk or mortar |
| Abundant insects/amphibians | Reduce outdoor lighting, manage garden pests |
This table shows some key things that bring snakes to your yard and what you can do about them. Focus on these habitat changes for the best results in keeping snakes away.